Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1887-04-09
CONFEDERATE SHOES.
exPEDIENTS RESORTEO
TO DURING THE CIVIL WAR.

a Wooden Shoe One Of tho First In
ventiOns Patented Under the Confeder.
acy-w0oden Bottoms in General Use.
Material for Uppers.
The dearth of leather also drove the people
to all sorts of grotesQue expedienta Sole
leather, especially, owing to the difficulty
which the small tanneries experienced in its
production, was extremely scarce Wood
which had long been worn to a limited ex-
tent by the slaves in some localities, now
came into general use in the making of shoes.
wooden shoe was among the very first in
ventions patented under the Confederate
government. In the beginning consider
able variety of shapes prevailed Some could
do no better than dig out rude wooden
receptacle for the foot, travesty on the
eabot worn by the French peasants, a strip OF
leather being attached to the top by means of
which the clog was secured to the ankle. But
by far the best and most comfortable style,
and one which was adopted whenever the adj
ditional leather required was to be had, was a
imple sole Of ash, willow or some light wood,
to which full leather uppers were fastened
with tacks. AT first these were so thick, in
order to insure durability, that among their
various other effects was that of adding very
sensibly to the stature of the community.
Later on it was found better to make the
sole thinner, and protect them from wearing
by hailing on their bottoms light irons, SINH
lar i'll shape to a horseshoe. They are neces-
sarily tho noisiest shoes ever worn, announc-
ing the approach Of their wearers at good
round distance. When the air was clear ard
the ground frozen one was by this means
kept well apprised Of the movements of bis
immediate neighbors Especially did their
telltale clatter make them the abomination Of
the negro in his nocturnal rambles. To the
dismay OF nervous people and careful house
wives their effect indoors was something ter
rifle, though after irons came into vogue and
leSsened the impacting surface the clatter
was toned down to something under the
tramp Of horse. Nor were they much less
destructive to floor, while carpets simply did
not exist in their wake Despite the scrub
bling and securing of q quarter century, their
marks are yet to be seen i'll some houses.
USE OF WOODEN BOTTOMS.
The use Of wooden bottoms for shoes was
by no means confined to the negroes They
were worn by the majority of laboring PEG
pie, we'll as by many of both sexes who
had been reared in affiuence The scarcity Of
the last winter of the war drove families into
them, except the little feet which could not
be trusted to steer such craft, but bore their
share Of martyrdom by being imprisoned
throughout the hvelong dreary months.
Great skill and caution were requisite to
keep afoot in wooden bottoms at all. A queer
spectacle it was, too, to see ones fellow beings
stepping gingerly around, as if there were
,,n;,,orca1 To ba cafa nf tho
earth's crust One may forget his first feat
with firearms and even his exploit on skates,
but never his first flight on-or, to be accu-
rate, his first abduction by wooden bottoms.
II the soles, which, in q clumsy attempt to fit
the foot were shaped like rockers, were once
set in motion, they persisted in inexorably
fitting one forward, especially in descending
a hill, till volition was utterly lost, and moth
ing short Of an ascent or fall could arrest
them. However, in time they became COM
paratively manageable, one getting able to
choose his own path. as we'll as to have some
small voice in stOppages,
Uppers were made OF such random pieces
Of leather, or of anything bearing the faint
est sembiance Of leather, as could be lighted
OH. Carriage curtains and buggy tops We're
In some cases old morocco
20, textbooks We're converted into chldrens
shoes, while many ladies managed to fashion
themselves i sort OF mOccasin out of the
most heterogeneous and unpromising mate
lials. Woe to the careless wight who suf
Tered his saddled horse to stand out near the
church, store OF postoftice after nightfall!
The chances we're that when he went TO
mount ne would find that some one had ap-
his saddle :kirts for sole leather,
unless lie had forstalled such an act by ap-
them to that end himself-At-
lantic Monthly.